As I look around the NFL following Week 1, I notice a couple of things.

1. Sam Bradford had a career night. He played like you would expect a No. 1 overall draft choice to play.
2. Jared Goff had a career day. He played like you would expect a No. 1 overall draft choice to play.

Why do I bring this up?

Because both quarterbacks played under Jeff Fisher.

Under Fisher, Goff absolutely languished. He looked lost. Fisher, of course, always emphasized defense and put very little time into the offense. But in one game under Sean McVay, Goff looks like a different guy. Sure, they played the hapless Colts. But Goff looked like an NFL quarterback. He was decisive. He was confident. He was really good.

Likewise, Sam Bradford languished FOUR YEARS under Fisher.

• With the Rams, Bradford had a 79.3 passer rating and completed 58% of his passes.
• With Philly, his passer rating rose to 85.2, with a completion percentage of 62.6.
• Now after 16 games with the Vikings, he's passing at a 102.0 clip and completing 72.6% of his passes.

Heck, even Steve McNair had barely an 82 rating and less than 60% playing for Fisher.

Is it possible that Jeff Fisher is simply his own quarterback's Worst Nightmare?

What’s even more stunning is Goff is behind Sean Mannion. There’s no logic to this—and in fact, it hurts Goff’s development because you know he is getting no snaps as the third-string quarterback.

Which brings us back to Fisher, and his inability to mold a quarterback.

Fisher hasn’t had a decent quarterback since the then-Houston Oilers drafted Steve McNair. In 1995.

Marinate in that for a second, if you will. Fisher was involved in drafting McNair—who admittedly had a very nice career under Fisher—and has never had another successful quarterback. Vince Young and Sam Bradford both have had issues of their own making (particularly Young) but Fisher couldn’t find a way to make them work. He failed also with Kerry Collins, Kellen Clemens and Nick Foles.

Maybe you can say he didn’t have good quarterbacks to work with, but other coaches have managed to make both Bradford and Foles look very good

Thanks to Sunday’s 14-10 loss at home to the Miami Dolphins, Fisher is now tied with Tom Landry for the second-most losses by a head coach in NFL history. He did it in style, too, turning his hat backwards as his team blew a 10-0 lead with less than five minutes remaining thanks to their coach’s ultra-conservative style. On the debut performance by quarterback Jared Goff, in which the No1 overall pick threw for 134 yards and no scores on 31 pass attempts, Fisher said: “He did a really good job. No delay of games.” It’s comments like that one that give insight on how Fisher manages to convince ownership to keep him on year after year: “We went 7-9 again, but we did a really good job. We had the most punt yardage.”

The Hall of Famer and late Cowboys coach lost his 162 games over 29 years while also winning 20 playoff games, five NFC championships and two Super Bowl titles. None of that can hold a candle to Fisher losing 162 games in less than 22 seasons while notching just five playoff wins – and none since 2003 – and a single conference title that was won last century. And when Fisher ties Dan Reeves later this year for the most coaching losses all-time with 165, he’ll have done it faster than Reeves, too, while also winning far fewer games in the postseason. Reeves having more career losses than Fisher doesn’t mean Reeves is better at losing, just as Matt Ryan having more passing yards than Tom Brady this year doesn’t make him a better quarterback. But when Fisher holds the record alone, there will be no question of his eternal place in the game.

0 x

"Everyone has a plan 'til they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson

I can't speak for Goff, but I think in the case of Bradford he is finally surrounded by a competent coaching staff and a NFL competitive roster. Watching him throw both last season and this season it is obvious that he has the arm and accuracy to be an NFL QB. He lacks some of the mobility of a guy like Rogers, but so did Peyton Manning and so does Tom Brady. That is hardly requisite to be an elite QB.

I think this is a year where we are going to learn a lot about SB. We do not play any elite defensive units vs. the pass this season (based on '16 passing stats). So we should expect Sam to put up solid numbers against less than stellar defensive units. We do have some games against teams in the top 10 pass defenses: Chicago (They were ranked #7, I was surprised!), Baltimore, LA Rams, and the Bengals (ranked #11). Those will be games to watch to see how SB plays when some of the WR have to play against higher quality DBs. Diggs has had a tendency to disappear when he plays against elite CB. Can Sam make it happen in the face of that level of opposition? Was that throw to Wright on Monday a flash in the pan or will we see more of it? Time will tell. (The same question is fair to ask of the OL, they are going to face better pass rushers that we saw in week 1.)

I actually wonder if Treadwell will emerge as a dark horse type surprise as the season grinds on given his size and physical stature. Such a WR will be a huge boon in the post season when we play elite defenses. (Assuming any of them make it to the post season. The Seahawk offense looks pathetic right now.)

0 x

Winning is not a sometime thing it is an all of the time thing - Vince Lombardi

I mean, if Jeff Fisher's idea of good quarterback play is "no delay of games," then it's not surprising that a quarterback would tank under him. I totally forgot about Vince Young. Kerry Collins was already established to whatever degree he was going to be established by the time he played for Fisher, but Nick Foles had just come off a 27 TD, 2 INT season with Philly (under Chip Kelly, no Vince Lombardi himself) and totally failed under Fisher.

To me, Jeff Fisher is one of those guys like Sean Payton and even Mike Tomlin (to a degree). They've had one great season each, and essentially nothing else. They get a pass because they won or appeared in a Super Bowl.

Fisher isn't even in the same league as Tomlin and Payton, they've at least won the big game. Fisher was there once and gets credit because at the time the game his Titans played made the '99 Superbowl watchable. He hasn't done anything since then and that was 18 years ago!

What gets me about Tomlin is that the defense under him has never been anything really special. I suspect his days will be numbered once Ben retires unless they hit the QB lottery again. Payton, IMO, should go back to being an OC. His mis-management of the defensive side of the ball is nearly criminal. That situation might be worse than how Ted Thompson has wasted Aaron Rogers.

0 x

Winning is not a sometime thing it is an all of the time thing - Vince Lombardi

J. Kapp 11 wrote:
Six winning seasons out of 17 ... only 3 with McNair. Not close to OK.

Fisher's picture should be next to the word "overrated" in the dictionary.

And d-bag.

Sorry. I fing hate Jeff Fisher. I remember a former player on the NFL Network telling a story about how he got injured during a game and while he was on the ground he looked at Fisher and he was smiling right at him.

I fing hate Jeff Fisher.

0 x

“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly

Sorry. I fing hate Jeff Fisher. I remember a former player on the NFL Network telling a story about how he got injured during a game and while he was on the ground he looked at Fisher and he was smiling right at him.

I fing hate Jeff Fisher.

Completely agree.

Remember 2015 when they headhunted Teddy Bridgewater? That's the Fisher way. If you ain't the '85 Bears, you ain't sh!t.

Sorry. I fing hate Jeff Fisher. I remember a former player on the NFL Network telling a story about how he got injured during a game and while he was on the ground he looked at Fisher and he was smiling right at him.